Fade Into Me
by Kristie V
Summary: Hope leaves Liam to be with her true love, Wyatt. WIll they stay together or will opposing forces try and tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The music blared from the small stereo as the light flickered from the candles. The song was beautiful & romantic in a rock kind of way. As they held each other close, this moment was what they each had wanted for a long time.

Wyatt Fuller looked into the beautiful eyes of his new wife Hope & found himself feeling like the luckiest man alive.

He had finally done it. He had won over the girl of his dreams and could now proudly call her his wife. That was all he had wanted ever since that fateful day in Big Bear.

Now as he slowly started to help her slip out of her wedding dress, Wyatt saw Hope smile, something he loved seeing her do. Her face just became more beautiful when she did that. It also made his heart melt.

"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" asked Hope as she felt the straps come off & her dress begin to slide off. "I have. More then anything," said Wyatt as he stepped back & watched the dress fall off.

As he looked at her in all of her naked glory, Wyatt was ready to take Hope right there & then, but he swore to himself that their wedding night would be special so he gently took her to the king-size bed covered in pink and white rose petals.

"You are so beautiful. I love you so much," he said breathlessly. "I love you too," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to surrender herself to his sweet yet passionate kiss.

As Wyatt & Hope fell onto the bed & began to make love, everything around them faded. It was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered.

Still, they knew that they had fought hard to get to this point of happiness.

Deep in their hearts, Wyatt & Hope knew that it had all been worth it.

Very much worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

As she woke up the following morning, Hope looked around & found herself smiling. Then she saw Wyatt, sound asleep with his arm wrapped around her, which caused her smile to become bigger.

For the first time in her life, Hope felt complete & truly happy.

It had been quite a change from what had occurred only a week ago.

It started on what was supposed to be her wedding day. Only it turned out not to be.

Hope was standing alone in the brides' room at the church where she was going to marry Wyatt's half-brother Liam Spencer. This should've been a moment she had been looking forward to for a long time. Only it didn't feel that way to her.

To Hope, it felt like she was making a huge mistake. & it was because of one thing.

She didn't love Liam anymore.

As long as she was with him, Hope would never feel safe & secure in their relationship. As long as his ex-wife Steffy Forrester was around, Hope felt that she would always be looking over her shoulder.

Now as she looked at herself in the mirror, Hope realized what she needed to do. What had to be done.

She had to get away. She had to leave Liam at the alter.

So Hope took her engagement ring off, put it on the table, and sneaked out of the church with no one looking or noticing. She got into the rented stretch limo & was off.

As the limo drove further & further away from the church, Hope felt herself relax & breath a huge sigh of relief. She now felt free. Free of Liam. Free of expectations. Free of everything.

Now there was one more thing left for Hope to do. She had to be with Wyatt, & she knew just the place to meet him at.

She quickly grabbed the phone in the limo & dialed Wyatt's number, hoping that he would answer.

Turns out he did.

"Hope?" he asked nervously. "Wyatt, do you want to meet me somewhere?" she asked. "Yeah. Where?" he asked, feeling himself get excited. "The Forrester cabin," she said. "I'll be there," he said & quickly hung up.

Wyatt then grabbed his jacket & got into his completely remodeled green truck. As he was driving to Big Bear, he checked his jacket pocket to see if the gift he had for Hope was in there. He smiled when he felt the soft feel of velvet. It was there.

As the cabin got closer, Hope felt nervous & excited at the same time. She knew that Wyatt wouldn't believe what she had just done, but she knew that he would be happy that she was finally following her heart, something that he had been telling her for months.

When she got there, Hope knew that it was now or never for her & Wyatt.

This was it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

As she got out of the limo & into the cabin, Hope was nervous yet excited. Sure, Wyatt hadn't arrived yet, but he would soon.

As she gently removed her veil and undid her long hair so that flowed down her back, Hope felt a real sense of relief, but she also felt anxious.

Sure, she knew that there were 150 people, including her mother Brooke and stepfather Ridge Forrester, at the church wondering what was going on. She knew that Liam was probably at the alter wondering where she was.

It didn't matter though. Hope knew deep down that she had done the right thing.

As she was to go into the master suite to change out of her dress, she heard the sound of an engine. Wyatt had arrived.

She quickly raced over to the door & opened it. As soon as Wyatt was in & the door was closed, Hope ran into his arms. He held her tight, not wanting to let her go.

"I thought you were marrying Liam today," said Wyatt as he stared at her. "I couldn't do it. I knew I would be making a mistake if I did," she said as she felt tears come to her eyes. "So you left?" he asked. "Yeah I did. It's official. I'm now a runaway bride," said Hope with a giggle. Wyatt laughed as well.

Then things got serious again as Hope went to the master suite to change from her wedding dress & into jeans & a long-sleeved t-shirt. When she came back, she & Wyatt sat down on the couch & began talking.

"Do you think your family will understand?" asked Wyatt as he held Hope's hand. "I think Ridge & my siblings will, but I'm betting that my mom will be furious," said Hope. "She believes that Liam is your 'destiny', right?" he asked. "That's right. I believed it too until Liam became interested in Steffy amongst other things," said Hope who then sighed. "Does my jackass of a father fit into that as well?" asked Wyatt. "He sure does. He hated me. Thought Steffy was perfect for his son," she said frowning when she mentioned Steffy. Wyatt just shook his head.

Wyatt then remembered something. He quickly got up, went to the wooden coat rack, and grabbed Hope's gift out of his pocket. When he sat back, he held the black velvet box in his hand & decided to finally make his move.

"I just want to ask you something," said Wyatt. "What is it?" asked Hope. Wyatt took a deep breath and said what he had wanted to say to her for months.

"Hope, I know that I have been a jerk to you on ocassion when it came to my brother, but that was only because I wanted you to see how wrong he was for you. I wanted you to see what was in my heart, in my soul. You are...everything to me. I have never wanted someone as much as I've wanted you. You bring sunshine into my life. I...love you so much."

Hope gasped & put her hand over her mouth in surpirse. She knew that she was in love with him, but to hear him say that he was very much in love with her shocked her.

Then Wyatt, with tears in his eyes, opened the box, got down on one knee & said the words that he had been imagining himself saying ever since they had first met.

"Hope Margaret Logan, will you marry me?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Hope felt the tears running down her face as she looked at the beautiful diamond ring. To see it, and hear Wyatt ask her to marry him was a complete shock to her system.

Yes, she had just ended things with Liam for good, and it did seem crazy to get engaged to someone else so quickly after that, but to Hope, it made sense.

She had been emotionally out of her realtionship with Liam for a few months but had only stayed in it to make everyone, especially Brooke, happy.

Wyatt had been there for her. He had watched her rant & rave. He had held her when she cried. He made her laugh when she was feeling down. Wyatt had been Hope's everything throughout that.

Now as she looked at the ring & then at Wyatt, Hope knew that this was right so she gave him the answer.

"Yes," she said through her tears. Wyatt scooped her up in his arms & swung her around. This was beyond anything he had hoped for.

Wyatt at thought that she would say no, that she needed time, but to hear her say yes meant the world to him.

"I love you," she said as he slipped the ring on her finger. "I love you, gorgeous," he said. He then picked her up, & they were off to the master suite where they would make love for the first time.

While Wyatt & Hope were celebrating in Big Bear, panic had spread across the church back in Los Angeles. Everyone was looking for Hope after her brother Rick's fiancee, Maya Avant, had gone into the brides' room and only found the engagement ring. No note, no nothing.

Liam was confused & upset. "Why is this happening?" he thought as he watched everyone scamble around. He then got up from the pew he was sitting at & went over to his father Bill, who was talking to Brooke.

"I'm sorry, Brooke, but can I talk my father alone please?" he asked. "Sure. No problem," said Brooke who then walked over to Ridge, who was talking with Rick & Maya.

Liam then laid into Bill. "What did you do?" he growled. "What do you mean by that?" asked Bill. "Don't play dumb with me. What...did...you...do?" asked Liam. Bill continued to look at his son dumbfounded. He then managed to collect himself.

"You think I talked Hope out of marrying you. Is that right?" asked Bill. "Makes sense to me. You're the one who believes that she's not worth it," said Liam. "Son, I promised Brooke that I wouldn't interfere," said Bill. "Well then, I think you broke your promise, didn't you?" said Liam who was really fuming. "I swear to you I didn't," said Bill. "I don't believe you," said Liam angirly. "Believe what you want, Liam, but I am telling you the truth," said Bill sternly. Liam then walked away & went out to a bench near the church doors where he sat down & began wondering where he had gone wrong.

Sure Steffy had come to Los Angeles more then two weeks ago & was now dating lawyer Carter Walton, but Liam knew that she had nothing to do with Hope ditching him at the alter.

Then Wyatt came to mind, which now made Liam burn with anger & jealousy. He knew that there was an attraction between Wyatt & Hope, & that they had grown closer as they had worked together on the collabration between Hope For The Future & Quinn Artisans, the jewelry company Wyatt co-owned with his mother Quinn Fuller. The big ad campaign, which included a billboard in Times Square in New York, as well as the fashion show during LA Fashion Week had resulted in huge success as well as great publicity for both Forrester Creations & Quinn Artisans, but it didn't matter to Liam.

Then another realization came to Liam.

Maybe this was payback for him choosing Steffy over Hope. Liam knew that he had loved both women. Seeing his ex-wife be so happy with someone new had been painful for him to see, but it had been worth it because Liam was happy to see Steffy move on with someone he felt could truly make her happy.

As for Hope, Liam knew that he had hurt her so badly. To see her with Wyatt, however, made his blood boil. Liam knew that the guy was bad news, but now a fear came over him, & he was now freaked out.

What if Hope was with Wyatt right now? Where they now a couple? If they were, Liam knew he had to get to whereever they are & put a stop to it.

Then again, Liam found himself not willing to do that. If this was the end for him & Hope, he knew that he had to let her go.

Still, Liam wanted to talk to her & see if he could find out why she left him at the alter. He knew that it would take some time until she was ready to talk, but it was worth it.

Liam was willing to wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The following morning, Hope woke up to see the sun shining throught the huge windows of the master suite. When she noticed Wyatt sound asleep with his arm wrapped around her, all she could do was smile. This was something that she could defintely get used to.

Then something dreadful come over her.

Hope knew that she had to go back to LA & face reality. She had to face her family, her friends, and especially Liam. Facing him was the part she didn't want to go through with, but she knew that she had to do it. She didn't really have a choice.

So Hope grabbed a pink Nike t-shirt and skinny jeans out of the suitcase she had left at the cabin just a couple of days before. As she was getting dressed, Wyatt woke up.

"Going back to LA, babe?" he asked with a frown. "Yeah. I have to," she said sadly as she put on a pair of ballet flats. "You know you don't have to," he said. "I know that, but I have to," she said. "You're going to face your mom?" asked Wyatt. "Yup & Liam," said Hope with a sigh. "You sure you want to do this alone?" he asked. "I'm sure," she said. Wyatt then got out of bed & got dressed himself.

As they drove back to LA in the truck, Wyatt & Hope didn't say anything. They didn't need to. Both of them knew that this was going ot get very messy.

As they pulled up to Ridge & Brooke's mansion, Hope looked at the house & then at Wyatt. She could see the sadness in his eyes. He didn't want her to go, but he knew he had to.

"I'll call," she said. "I love you, babe," said Wyatt. "I love you too," she said. They then kissed, & she got out of the truck & into the house.

To her amazement, no one was home. Hope went up to her old bedroom, grabbed a suitcase & started packing. As she grabbed all that she needed, she started to get that feeling that someone was coming. Hope dreaded to find out who it was.

Turns out it wasn't who she feared it would be.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a male voice yell out, "Mom!" She knew that voice anywhere.

It was Rick.

While she was grateful that it was him, Hope suddenly became fearful that if Rick found her here & saw her ring, he would start demanding to know what was going on. Still, he needed to know that she was now with Wyatt so she kept her ring on.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Rick yelled. "I'm here!" yelled Hope. When he saw her at the top of the stairs, he ran & hugged his little sister tight.

"What happened, Hope? Why did you leave?" asked Rick after he had let go of her. "I had to. I couldn't marry Liam," said Hope. "Why? Was it because of Bill? Steffy?" asked Rick. Hope let out a deep breath & told him.

"Neither. It was me. I don't love Liam anymore," said Hope. "If you didn't love him anymore, why did you agree to go through with the wedding?" asked RIck. "I thought that was what everyone wanted especially Mom," saod Hope. "What about you, Hope? Was it what you wanted?" asked RIck. "At the time, yes, but as time went on, I realized that I didn't want that anymore. I wanted something else," said Hope. "Like what?" asked Rick. Hope braced herself as she was about to reveal her big news.

"Like...Wyatt," said Hope. "You mean..." said Rick. "Yeah. I'm in love with Wyatt," said Hope. "You sure?" asked Rick. "Yeah. Very sure," said Hope who then lifted her left hand up & showed her brother her ring.

"Oh...my...God," whispered Rick as he admired the beauty of his sister's ring. "I know. It's insane for someone to get engaged to someone else so fast, but it feels right to me. Wyatt & I love each other, & we want a life together. Is that wrong?" asked Hope fearing that Rick would scold her.

Turns out she was wrong.

"No, it's not. At least I don't think it is," said Rick smiling. "I'm just happy for you, sis, that's all. Besides, I think Wyatt is good for you anyway." Hope let out a huge grin & hugged Rick.

Rick then had an idea. "If you want, I won't tell Mom about this. She's upset already about you leaving Liam at the alter, & this might anger her even more," said Rick. "Agreed. Let's not tell Mom about this. Now can please help me with my suitcase?" said Hope with a giggle as she & Rick went ot her room, grabbed her suitcase, and hauled it into her BMW convertible.

"You heading to the office?" asked RIck. "Yeah I am," said Hope. "Be careful, sis," said Rick. "I promise I will," said Hope with a smile as she drove off.

Now as she headed over to Forrester Creations, Hope felt herself get nervous. Knowing that her mother was angry at her was scary enough but knowing that Brooke would flip her lid if she found out about Hope being engaged to Wyatt was enough to really freak her out.

When she pulled into her parking spot, Hope took off her ring and placed in an inside pocket of her jacket. She hated to do it, but Brooke simply didn't need to know about it.

Hope then walked in & took a deep breath. It was time.

Time for her to face the music.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

While Hope was at Forrester Creations, Wyatt drove over to the Quinn Artisans warehouse and saw loads of activity going on. He knew what was going on.

Thanks to the collabration between Hope For The Future and Quinn Artisans, the jewelry company was now in high demand. Wyatt's mother Quinn had recently bought another warehouse just a block away as well as leasing office space at a high rise building in downtown Los Angeles. Things were changing in a crazy way.

Quinn smiled when she saw her son. She walked up to him & gave him a hug.

"Hey you," she said with a big grin. "Hi, Mom," said Wyatt. "So how did things go with Hope?" she asked. "Great. She's not with Liam anymore," said Wyatt. "Well you did always tell me what a weakling he was and how he didn't appreciate her," said Quinn. "Yup," said Wyatt. "So are you two...a couple now?" she asked. Wyatt simply nodded his head.

"I'm glad. I may not think highly of her sometimes, but I do think that Hope is good for you," said Quinn smiling. "Thanks, Mom. That means a lot to me," said Wyatt. The two then got in the truck & drove off for lunch at Pink Taco.

While Wyatt was treating his mother to lunch, Hope was nervously making her way through Forrester Creations to see her own mother & explain her actions. She could feel her hands getting really clammy as she reached Eric Forrester's office. She nervously knocked on the door.

"Come in!" yelled Eric who was looking over some new designs Caroline Spencer had given him earlier in the day. He smiled when he saw Hope entered.

"Hello, my dear," he said as he gave her a warm hug. "Hi, Eric. Is my mom here?" asked Hope nervously. "No she's not. She's at a business meeting right now," said Eric. "Oh really? With who?" asked Hope. "Representives from Target. We're just working out some details before making it official," said Eric with a smile. Hope smiled as well.

Hope knew that Target had been interested in working with FC on an affordable version of Brooke's Bedroom, the lingerie line that Brooke had started many years ago & had been successful. Eric had seen the move as a way to make FC products & clothing more availible to the general public.

"Are you here to talk your mother about the wedding?" asked Eric. "Yeah. I am," said Hope with a sigh. "She's very upset with you," said Eric. "I know. It's just...things change. People change. I mean, I know I've changed," said Hope. "I know you have, sweetheart. Things haven't been easy for you especially with Liam," said Eric. "That's so true," said Hope. She & Eric then embraced.

"I hope your mother isn't too hard on you," said Eric. "I hope so too," said Hope. Eric then left because he had a business meeting of his own to attend to.

Hope then nervously started pacing back & forth. She knew that Brooke was going to let her have it. Still, Hope knew that she had to brace herself for it.

It wouldn't be long until Brooke showed up, & that scared Hope.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Hope found herself pacing back & forth in Eric's office as she waited for her mother to return. She even sent Wyatt a quick text letting him know what was happening. Then she found herself smelling the scent of a certain French perfume & quickly knew who was walking in through the door.

Brooke Logan-Forrester walked in wearing a tasteful light blue suit. The sides of her shoulder-length blond hair was pulled back away from her beautiful face which showed off the diamond stud earrings Ridge had given her for her birthday. She was the very epitome of elegance and beauty despite the many mistakes she had made in her life, which had resulted in tabloid headlines & scandel.

When she saw Hope standing there, her blue eyes turned ice cold and her demeanor became stiff. Hope felt herself begin to tremble, but she knew that she had to stand strong against her mother.

It was now or never.

While Hope was bracing herself against her mother at Forrester Creations, Wyatt was at Pink Taco with his mother Quinn enjoying a delicious lunch.

"This is really great, son. Thank you," said Quinn smiling. "You're welcome, Mom. You deserve it after everything that has happened," said Wyatt smiling. "You mean the success of our company and Hope For The Future?" said Quinn smiling. "That's right," said Wyatt with a smile of his own. "Well, I apreciate it very much. I must be the luckiest mom ever, " said Quinn, her smile now much bigger. Wyatt gave her a huge hug.

Then the subject turned to Hope. "Where is Hope today?" asked Quinn. "At Forrrester talking to her mom," sad Wyatt who was now frowning. "You don't have a good feeling about that, do you?" asked Quinn who was now frowning herself. Wyatt just nodded hishead. Quinn let out a sigh.

Sure, she hadn't liked Hope when Wyatt had first introduced them, but through working together on Hope For The Future & talking things out, Quinn had become Hope's biggest supporter & friend even after all teh bad stuff that had happened. She knew that Wyatt & Hope were meant to be together & had even told her son not to give up, which he didn't. Now she was glad that her son had found his own happiness.

"You want to know what's really got me worried, Mom?" said Wyatt. "What's that?" asked Quinn. "That Brooke is going to try & force Hope to go back to Liam, " said Wyatt. "Obivously Brooke has no idea how much you two love each other. She can't get in the way of that," said Quinn. "No she can't. I'm just hoping that Hope lets her know that," said Wyatt. "I'm sure she will," siad Quinn with a reassuring smile. The two then went back to enjoying their lunch.

Back at Forrester, Hope braced herself hard for what was to come.

Then it happened.

"Care to explain yourself?" asked Brooke coldly. "No. I don't," said Hope. "Well, you don't have a choice in this," said Brooke. "I know, and I also know that nothing I say will change how you feel about this," said Hope. Brooke looked at her daughter surprised, having been caught off guard by the comment.

Then Hope said something else that further surprised Brooke.

"I will tell you this, Mom. I don't love Liam anymore and haven't for a long time. Things change, and people change. I'm not that girl anymore. I'm not that girl desperately trying to prove to Liam that I am the one for him. He's not my 'destiny' anymore. If you can't except that, that's your problem, not mine."

Brooke stood there in front of her daughter in complete shock. She had had no idea what Hope's true feelings were because Hope herself never expressed them to her. Now she made her case & wasn't expecting Brooke to understand.

As Hope was about to leave, Brooke stopped her. "Honey, I'm sorry. I wish I had known," said Brooke sadly. "Don't apologize. There's no need for it," said Hope who then walked out the door & left.

As she got into her car & drove off to the SLS Hotel, where Wyatt was staying, Hope felt the tears come down her face. She had always had a hard time standing up to her mother, but this time she actually felt proud of herself for doing it.

Hope couldn't wait to tell Wyatt all about it. As she put her engagemtn ring back on, she knew that he would be proud of her.

Very proud.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

When Hope made it to the SLS Hotel, a porter helped her get her suitcase to the suite that she & Wyatt were now sharing. As soon as she was inside, Hope flopped down ont he bed & let out a massive sigh of relief.

She had done it. She had stood up to her mother, and it felt so good. Hope had never felt so much relief in her life.

Sure, Hope loved & adored her mother, but there were times when Brooke got on her nerves. From her troubled relationship with Ridge to her insane engagement to Bill Spencer, Brooke found herself in situations that angered Hope greatly, to the point where she even considered not speaking to her mother anymore.

Still, Hope knew that her mother was a kind, caring, loving woman who simply followed her heart even if that got her in trouble.

Now as Hope got herself ready to go for a swim in the hotel's Altitude Pool, located on the rooftop, she noticed some activity going on in one of the reception rooms on her way there. The scents of various colognes filled her nostrils as she walked by. One in particular caught her attention.

She knew that scent anywhere. Strong & a little bit musky. Only one man she knew would wear that scent, & that person was none other then Liam.

Hope tried to think fast. She wasn't ready to face him after leaving him at the alter. Then again, now that she was going to marry Wyatt, maybe she felt that Liam didn't deserve an explanation after everything that had happened in the past. Then she saw something that she felt might work.

Hope saw an elevator open & quickly decided to enter it. She could only hope that the doors would close quickly so that he wouldn't see her. She breathed a sigh of relief when they did.

Hope was just glad that Liam didn't see her.

After dropping his mother off at her new penthouse apartment near Beverly Hills, Wyatt made his own way to the SLS Hotel to be with Hope. However, his excited mood was dampened when he saw Liam's car parked in the hotel parking lot.

"That bastard better have a good reason for being here," Wyatt thought as he parked his truck. When he entered the hotel, he saw the swarm of activity going on. Then he realized what was going on.

Liam was meeting with the top executives at Spencer Publications about the company's newest acquisitions of several magazines including the Genoa City, Wisconsin-based magazine Restless Style. Wyatt remembered that from a conversation he had overheard between Bill & Liam.

Finding that Hope wasn't in the room & that only a towel was missing, Wyatt decided to go see if she was at the Altitude Pool.

However, Wyatt ran into a problem on his way there.

His name was Liam.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Wyatt could feel his blood boiling as Liam approached him with a menacing glare on his face. Whatever he had to say, Wyatt was ready.

"Hello, brother. Busy day, huh?" asked Wyatt casually. "Don't play coy with me, you son of a bitch," said a fuming Liam. "Angry today, aren't we?" said Wyatt. "You damn well know why," said Liam. "Because you've treated Hope like crap for a long time?" asked Wyatt smirking. "Is that what you think? Well, I have news for you, jackass. That's not it," said Liam. Wyatt just shook his head and laughed. He then said this:

"Really? Is that what you think? Well, let me tell you something, Liam. I didn't make Hope choose to leave your sorry ass at the alter. She did that all on her own. She stopped loving you a long time ago, & I had nothing to do with it. I was there for Hope while you were too busy trying make things right with that whore Steffy all the while cutting ties with her. Now you may not understand this, but Hope means the world to me. I love making her feel special and wanted, something I'm sure was a...chore for you, which is probably why you keep running back to Steffy."

Liam was now ready to slug Wyatt. "I hate this bastard!" he thought as his brother's words kept going through his head. Steffy a whore? Hope stopped loving him a long time ago? Wyatt's words made no sense to him.

Then again, nothing Wyatt did made sense to Liam.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm meeting a special person here, and I don't want to her to see me with blood on my face," said Wyatt, but as he was about to walk away, Liam grabbed him.

Wyatt quickly got out of the way of Liam's fist and threw a punch of his own, which connected with Liam's jaw. Liam fell to the floor in pain as Wyatt got himself into an elevator and went up to the Alitutde Pool to be with Hope.

When he got there, Wyatt saw her swimming lazily in the pool. He smiled at the sight of her in her peach-colored bikini. In or out of a pool, Hope was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he loved her with all his heart.

As she reached the far end of the pool, she turned & saw Wyatt smiling at her & waving. Hope swam her way over to him & got out while he wrapped her in a soft, plush towel. She greeted him with a kiss.

"I could've been here sooner, but I ran into a problem," said Wyatt. "Liam?" asked Hope. "You saw him, babe?" asked a surprised Wyatt. "Saw him? Yes. Talked to him? No," said Hope. "Don't feel the need to explain yourself to him?" asked Wyatt. "In all honesty, Wyatt, I don't think he deserves to know," said Hope. "I don't blame you at all, babe," said Wyatt who then took Hope in his arms and held her close. They then left to go back to their suite to get ready to head out to her brother Rick's new beach house in Malibu for dinner.

On the way to the suite, Wyatt told Hope about his confrontation with Liam. Her eyes got big when he told her about Liam trying to suckerpunch him. Then she giggled when he mentioned hitting Liam in the jaw.

Meanwhile, Liam was driving away form the SLS Hotel trying hard to ignore the pain he was feeling in his jaw from Wyatt's punch. His brother's words kept replaying in his head. As he got to the high-rise building where Spencer Publications was located, only one thought came to Liam's mind.

He was going to make Wyatt pay for what he had done.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

While Liam was entering Spencer Publications to talk to his father, Wyatt & Hope were heading over to her brother Rick's new house in Malibu for dinner.

"I hope Maya can cook, babe," said Wyatt with a sheepish grin. "She can. She's a great cook, & Rick helps her out a lot," said Hope reassuringly. "What does she like to make the most?" asked Wyatt. "I tried this Shepard's pie she made once, & it was absolutely delicious. She said it was one of her grandmother's recipes," said Hope who smiled at the memory. "Sounds good to me," siad Wyatt with a grin of his own.

When they pulled up to Rick & Maya's house, Wyatt was in awe. It was much bigger then a lot of homes he had seen growing up. It was simply an amazing house.

Maya was putting the finishing touches on a seafood dish when she saw Wyatt & Hope pull up tot he house. "They're here, honey!" she yelled. "OK, I got it!" yelled Rick who had just finished getting dressed in jeans and a light blue button-down shirt after a minor mishap in the kitchen. He ran down the stairs & made his way to the door.

Rick hugged both his sister & Wyatt as soon as they entered. "Maya's finishing up in the kitchen," he said smiling as he led the couple to the cozy dining room where Maya was putting the food on the table.

Maya hugged Hope & gawked at her ring. "It is gorgeous," she said which caused to Hope to gsmile. Maya then turned to Wyatt & said, "You did good, my friend." Wyatt just smiled & thanked her.

Hope went with Maya to help put plates & silverware while Rick & Wyatt talked. It was an interesting conversation to say the least.

"I know you have concerns, Rick. I understnad that," said Wyatt. "Being her older brother & having seen what Hope has gone through, I do, but I need to reassure you of one thing, Wyatt," said Rick. "What's that?" asked Wyatt who was now nervous. He wondered what Rick had to say next.

"You don't need to worry. I've seen how you are with my sister, & I see how much you love her. I just want her to be happy, & I'm glad that you do," said Rick with a smile. Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that he had Rick's approval.

Maya called everyone to the table, and as they dug in, she had one question that she had to ask Hope about.

"Have you guys started planning your wedding yet?" she asked. Hope just shook her head. "Why not? It's not like Steffy is going to pop out of nowhere & ruin it," said Maya. "I know that, but Wyatt & I have talked about it, &...we're thinking about eloping," said Hope. Rick decided to speak up before things got too awkward.

"I completely understand why you two would want to do that," said Rick. "Hope's been burned too many times by my idiot brother," said Wyatt. "Just to let you know, Rick, we're not going to do it in Las Vegas," said Hope. "Vegas is kind of tacky anyway," said Wyatt. "So where do you two think you'll get married at?" asked Maya. That question got Wyatt & Hope thinking.

They knew that they wanted to elope but hadn't talked about where. It was something that just hadn't come up in their conversations since becoming engaged.

Rick then came up with an idea. "What about Hawaii?" he asked. "What about it, Rick?" asked Hope. "Well, Maya & I are planning a trip there this weekend, & maybe that might be a place you two could get married at," he said. Hope then looked at Wyatt, who was grinning.

"I like it. I've been to Hawaii many times, mainly for surfing and such, so maybe that might work. What do you think, babe?" said Wyatt. Hope smiled & said, "I like it. Let's do that."

Everyone was happy with that decision & went back to eating.

While Wyatt & Hope were having a great time with Rick & Maya, Liam was sitting in his father's office waiting for him to show up.

Liam was still fuming over had happened with Wyatt at the SLS Hotel earlier in the day. Just knowing that Hope was with him made Liam burn with anger.

As Bill Spencer walked in, Liam Readied himself for what he was about to tell his father.

He just hoped that his father was ready for it.


End file.
